Shuttle-position detector



Oct. 10, 1961 K. METZLER SHUTTLE-POSITION DETECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 28, 1956 Oct. 10, 1961 K. METZLER 3,003,524

SHUTTLE-POSITION DETECTOR Filed D60. 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II "w ll United States Patent 50 3,003,524 SHUTTLE-POSITION DETECTOR Kurt Metzler, Duwockskamp 15, Hamburg- Bergedorf, Germany Filed Dec. 28, 1956, Ser. No. 631,233 Claims priority, application Germany Nov. 19, 1956 2 Claims. (Cl. 139341) This invention relates to looms and more particularly to loom control devices.

In weaving looms, it is known that the loom drive or the loom itself is stopped when the shuttle, during its course, does not fully enter the shuttle-boxes, or when the shuttle is trapped in the shed. Such stoppings of a loom are generally made by stop-motion devices which for example are constructed in such a way that a rod or shaft, going from right to left across the loom is fitted on the front of the lay. This rod carries one or more so-called stop-rod elements. Feeler levers are generally mounted on this stop rod, on the right and left hand. These feeler levers are controlled by the shuttle-box arresters and oscillate outwardly when the shuttle enters the shuttle-box cell, and they move inwardly when the shuttle has left the box or when the shuttle, on the opposite side, has not entered the shuttle-box. In this case, the stop-rod nib or nibs are somewhat lifted so that, on forward movement of the lay, the stop-rod nib comes in contact with a buffer system on the breast beam; by this butter system-or also by means of a special knock-01f fingerthe loom stop-motion is operated and the drive is disengaged and the loom stopped. In such a way and in this manner nearly all weaving looms are stopped.

All loom stop-motion devices of this kind, however, have the great disadvantage that the lay, moving forward under full load, produces a heavy impact when the stoprod nibs knock against the buffer springs, thus applying a heavy stress on the loom stop-motion device and on the whole loom frame. Moreover, the greatest disadvantage of these devices is that, if the delicate adjustment of the brake motion is not made quite precisely, the lay, at the moment of stopping will move forward too great an extent thus causing breakage of groups of warp threads by the shuttle trapped in the shed.

It is a principal object of the invention to eliminate the hitherto existing difficulties.

A feature of the invention is that it comprises an electromagnetic device for immediate stopping of loom in the case of non-boxing of the shuttle or if it fails to completely enter the box, or is trapped in the loom shed.

The enclosed drawings give a description of an example of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a loom according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a wiring diagram of the same invention,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the loom illustrated in FIG. 1. N

According to the drawings a side frame 1 of a loom having longitudinal girders 2 connecting the loom frame sides is provided with a lay sword fulcrum 3 and crankshaft bearings 4. The throw 5 of the crank shaft is shown in broken lines below the arrow. The lay sword 7 carries the swinging lay 8 over which the shuttle 9 travels. The lay sword 7 is connected, in well-known manner to the crank shaft 4 by means of a lay angle arm 25. The shuttle 9 is framed by the shuttle-boxes 10. These shuttle-boxes 10 are provided with shuttle-box arresters 11 against which the feeler levers 12 pivoted at point 13 hear. The point 13 is a so-called stop-rod, extending the full width of the lay 8, from one end of loom to the other. At each end of the lay the stop-rod 13 carries a feeler 12 fitted to each end of the stop rod. Thus, the parts 10-12 are both at the left hand and at the "ice right hand of the machine, whereas the stop-rod extends the full width of the loom, from the left hand to the right hand, so that the operating process will be as follows.

When the shuttle leaves, for example, the right shuttlebox 10, the shuttle-box arrester 11 and with it the feeler 12 will swing inwardly whereas if the shuttle arrives correctly in the shuttle-box 10 at the opposite or right-hand side the shuttle-box right-hand arrester 11 and with it the feeler 12 will swing outwardly in the direction of the arrow.

According to the invention, the stop-rod 13 carries only one switch lever which controls the sole micro-switch 15 when the stop-rod 13 moves. Another micro-switch 16 is fixed to the back bottom girder 2 and is controlled by cam 17 on the crank shaft. Both micro-switches 15 and 16 are connected in series, according to the wiring diagram of FIG. 2, and controlled by means of the push button switch 18, to the operating coil 19 of contactor or armature 20. A contactor 20 cuts in the solenoid 21 which mechanically and simultaneously disengages the clutch of the loom and engages the loom brake by means of a lever 22 and a connecting rod 23 thus stopping the loom. The loom clutch, the loom brake, and also the connecting rods between the lever 22 and the loom clutch and the loom brake are of well-known construc tion and are not shown.

As soon as the shuttle 9 which has not entered the shuttle-box 10 enters the box, the switch 15 reopens and the loom can be started again. This process is as follows. The feeler 12 on the stop-rod 13 sensing the box arr-ester of this shuttle box, moves the stop-rod 13 and with it the switch lever 14 so that the switch is opened. Such an oscillation of the feeler 12 corresponds to normal running of the loom when the shuttle has correctly entered its box. The device, according to the invention, operates in such a manner that the shuttle leaves the shuttle-box when the lay is on its backward movement; in this case the feeler lever 12 swings inwardly that is to say in the direction opposite to that of the arrow, thus closing the micro-switch 15 by means of the switch lever 14 on stop-rod 13, but the loom is not stopped. But, stopping is effected only by closing the micro-switches 15 and 16, which are in series, at the moment when the shuttle should have entered the opposite shuttle-box, that is to say just at the moment when the lay begins its forward movement, as at this moment the cam 17 closes the microswitch 16. The adjustment or position of cam 17 must then be made most accurately when a loom of a large width with the so-called automatic drive interruption is operated.

The automatic drive interruption device operates in such a manner that at the back position of the lay the drive is interrupted by means of special controlling devices, until the shuttle will have ended its course or flight. At this moment the drive is again engaged and the lay begins again its forward movement. Quite close to and after the moment of restarting, that is to say only after a few degrees of revolution of the crank shaft, the cam 17 must operate the micro-switch 16 in order to realize the most important advantage of this invention, namely, an absolute secure stopping with a partially open shed, that is to say, when the lay begins to move, so that a shuttle trapped in the shed can easily be taken out so that no warp threads will break, and so that the heavy shocks on the loom frame and the heavy stress when working with the old-type stopmotion devices, will be avoided. It will be understood that the loom can be stopped without stopping motor 24.

I claim:

1. In a loom having a shed, oppositely disposed shuttle boxes, a lay operative in a cycle of forward and backward movement and having an electrically operated loomstopping device for stopping the loom and operating with one shuttle passing through the shed during each loom operation cycle and boxed in said oppositely disposed shuttle boxes alternately, the improvement which comprises an automatic stop-motion protection arrangement comprising, in combination, means including an electrical power circuit arrangement having solely two control switches for automatically energizing the loom-stopping device in the event that the shuttle does not reach the shuttle box and does not complete successive boxings comprising, a first switch normally closed, means on the loom automatically operable for opening the first switch only in response to completion by the shuttle of a boxing in either of said shuttle boxes and for closing said first switch when the shuttle leaves either of said boxes subsequent to a boxing, a second normally open switch connected in series with the first switch, means operated in timed sequence with the lay for cyclically closing the second switch automatically subtsantially at a time the shuttle normally completes a boxing during the loom cycle and after the passing of the shuttle through the shed and said lay substantially begins to move forward in its cycle, whereby the loom-stopping device is energized at a precise moment of the loom cycle in the event the shuttle does not completely enter the opposite box.

2. In a loom having a crankshaft, a shed, oppositely disposed shuttle boxes, a lay operative in a cycle of forward and backward movement and having an electrically operated loom-stopping device for stopping the loom and operating with one shuttle passing through the shed during each loom operation cycle and boxed at oppositely disposed shuttle boxes, for each of said shuttle boxes respective pressure-responsive means responsive to pressure of the shuttle when it enters a shuttle box and automatically operative to an operative first position when the shuttle enters a respective shuttle box and operative to a second operative position automatically in response to the shuttle leaving said respective shuttle box, the improvement which comprises an automatic stop-motion protection arrangement comprising, in combination, means including an electrical power circuit arrangement having solely two control switches for automatically energizing the loom-stopping device in the event that the shuttle does not reach the opposite shuttle box and does not complete successive boxings comprising, a first switch normally closed, means on the loom sensing the positions of said pressure-responsive means automatically operable in response to said operative positions for opening the first switch only in response to completion by the shuttle of a boxing in either of said shuttle boxes and for closing said first switch when the shuttle leaves either of said boxes subsequent to a boxing, a second normally open switch connected in series with the first switch, means operated by said crankshaft operative in timed sequence with the lay for cyclically closing the second switch automatically substantially at a time the shuttle normally completes a boxing during the loom cycle and after the passing of the shuttle through the shed and said lay substantially begins to move forward in its cycle, whereby the loom-stopping device is energized at a precise moment of the loom cycle in the event the shuttle does not completely enter the opposite box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 118,114 Detweiler Aug. 15, 1871 402,767 Pirotte May 7, 1889 905,131 Bacon Dec. 1, 1908 1,812,206 Hindle et al June 30, 1931 2,556,751 Fumat June 12, 1951 2,625,183 Dufourd Jan. 13, 1953 2,664,116 Krukonis Dec. 29, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 679,545 Great Britain Sept. 17, 1952 

